Melissa Tadros

Dr Melissa Tadros is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Newcastle’s School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, part of the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing. Her research focuses on understanding sensory pathways and the impact of early-life events, such as infections, on neurological development. She collaborates with researchers like Associate Professor Jay Horvat (Hunter Medical Research Institute) and Professor Deborah Hodgson (Neuroimmunology Lab) to explore long-term consequences of neonatal inflammation on neural pathways.

Dr Tadros holds a PhD in Neuroscience (University of Newcastle, 2011) and qualifications in tertiary education. She teaches anatomy to allied health students, emphasizing foundational knowledge for clinical practice. Recognized for her work, she received the Women in Research Fellowship (2019) and participated in the ThinkWell Women’s Development Program (2018). Her research has been supported by grants totaling $69,231, including studies on gut-brain-axis inflammation and spinal cord neurophysiology.

Key research themes include neuroimmune modulation of pain, developmental neurobiology, and the effects of early-life stress on neural circuits. Recent work investigates sex-specific inflammatory responses in the medulla oblongata and the development of human fetal organoids to study Müllerian duct anomalies. She supervises PhD candidates exploring air pollution’s impact on the CNS and neonatal respiratory infections.

Awards and grants highlight her contributions to advancing understanding of neural pathways and translating research into educational practice. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges basic science with clinical implications, aiming to develop strategies for neurological disease intervention.